The Netherlands is also called Holland, which is the name of two of its
provinces. Famous for tulips, windmills, wooden shoes, and cheese, it is
slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey.
The Netherlands extends 360 km from
its northern border on the North Sea to Belgium in the south.
With the
exception of some hills in the southeast (all less than 100m high), it
is very flat. About half of the country is actually below sea level!
Much of this land has been reclaimed from the sea
through the use of the famous dikes.
At its widest, the Netherlands measures approximately 300 km from the North
Sea in the west to the border of Germany in the east. Together with Belgium
and Luxembourg, these countries are known as Benelux. The Caribbean islands
of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are also part of this country. They are
the last of a large seafaring empire which at one point also controlled all of
Indonesia (then called the Dutch East Indies) and Suriname.
The
Netherlands has three cities of over 300,000 people. Amsterdam, the
capital, at over 700,000 is the largest; Rotterdam at 600,000 is the next
largest city; and The Hague with 450,000 is the seat of the government
and also known for the international war crimes tribunal.
On the whole the country is
very liberal, having legalized prostitution and same-sex
marriage. They have also taken steps to legalize euthanasia. Drug use
is common, especially marijuana which is legal if smoked at home or in
“coffee shops”
that sell soft drugs. Drinking and soft drugs are legal
for anyone over the age of 16. On the more positive side, there is a
strong, minority Christian population. Christian television and radio
programs are on the air, and a Christian viewpoint is present in the
government. There are many Dutch missionaries serving at home and
abroad. However, many denominational churches do not hold a fully
evangelical theology. An additional challenge to Dutch society is the
many Muslim citizens and immigrants, who on the whole live a very
conservative lifestyle. However, recent conflicts between Dutch and
Muslim-Dutch people have occasionally been violent.
The Netherlands
was an important spot during the time of the Reformation (1500s), when many
Protestant groups following the teachings of
Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Menno Simons
came into being and struggled for existence. The Reformed Church became the
chosen denomination of rebels fighting for freedom
from Spain during this period
(the Dutch Revolt). A close relationship with other
Reformed countries, including
England, was forged. The Pilgrims themselves took refuge in the tolerant
Dutch city of
Leiden for 11 years before they came to the New World in 1621. Many scholars
believe
that the foundation of the U.S. was influenced by Dutch Christian principles learned
from this experience. Theology made important strides in Leiden,
too, as the
location of the famous struggle between theologians Gomarus and Arminius (from whom
Arminians get their name). Another interesting American connection to the Netherlands
is that the Dutch originally founded New York,
calling it New Amsterdam.
